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Light sources that can emit just one photon at a time are needed for many applications in nanophotonics and beyond. A number of single-photon sources have been demonstrated, but none of these have combined a high flux of single photons with stable operation at room temperature. Nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond are a promising alternative, but luminescent centres in bulk diamond crystals have the disadvantage of low photon out-coupling. Now Marko Lončar and co-workers have demonstrated a single-photon source composed of a nitrogen-vacancy centre in a diamond nanowire, which produces ten times greater flux than bulk diamond devices, while using ten times less power. The schematic on the cover shows an array of these nanowires, which typically have diameters of around 200 nm and lengths of about 2 âμm.
New regulations concerning nanomaterials should consider the details of individual materials, applications and environments to avoid generalizations that might stifle the entire field.
Very accurate measurements of the quantum Hall effect with massless particles in single sheets of carbon atoms could help metrologists in their efforts to improve the standard for electrical resistance, and possibly even redefine the kilogram.
Self-assembly of proteins commonly associated with neurodegenerative diseases can be exploited to make well-ordered and strong functional macroscopic materials.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes can be used to detect single DNA molecules as they pass through the nanotubes under the influence of an applied electric field.
A CMOS-capable silicon nanowire transistor has been fabricated without any junctions, simplifying its manufacture and improving its performance relative to traditional devices.
Ultrasharp scanning probe microscope tips made of diamond-like carbon that contains silicon and oxygen demonstrate very high levels of wear resistance.
The quantum Hall effect has been measured in epitaxial graphene to an accuracy of a few parts per billion, potentially establishing a new quantum resistance standard.
A continuous semiconducting thin film can be created from a large sheet of graphene, which does not have a bandgap at room temperature, using block copolymer lithography.
Bond-cleavage and bond-forming reactions can be performed at local positions on a DNA origami scaffold and imaged at the single-molecule level with atomic force microscopy.
Dynamic changes in the light-driven proton pump, bacteriorhodopsin, which occur on stimulation with light, can be visualized using high-speed atomic force microscopy.
Biological nanofactories selectively bind to bacteria and produce molecules that trigger a quorum sensing response and facilitate the communication with nearby bacteria, offering a way to generate new antimicrobial treatments.